The Ten Best Craft-Beer Events in Denver in April

It's mud season — that awkward time of year between skiing and camping when the skies don't know whether to snow or shine, and locals keep a pair of flip-flops next to their boots by the front door. But don't be fooled: April is a great month to drink craft beer in Denver. Although many breweries will try to pull pranks on their customers on April Fool's Day (Bantha Blue Milk Stout, anyone?), there are plenty of real deals in taprooms, bars and restaurants in the month ahead; here are our ten best bets. For many more beer events in April, check our online Beer Calendar, posted every Wednesday.

1. Saturday, April 1 Khores Ballroom Beer: A Crowler EventCall to Arms Brewing One part April Fool's Day prank, one part real beer, Khores Ballroom Beer will return to Call to Arms Brewing at noon on April 1, and it will be available to go in three-packs of 32-ounce crowler cans (there are 200 three-packs available). Designed to taste like Coors Banquet Beer, Khores is indeed an "all-grain American classic...brewed with 100 percent ice-cold Rocky Mountain water for pure lager refreshment," CTA says. Last year on April 1, the brewery claimed it had been bought out by "Peat Coors" for a billion and one dollars. "They've agreed to give us complete autonomy under their umbrella, and we plan to use the money to buy the Lakeview Lounge, open a deli/pizzeria, and of course give back to the community," CTA said then. This time around, Call to Arms claims it has finally cashed the check and decided to use the money to throw a party. "We'll have live music from the Khores Sexy Band from 2 to 3 p.m., and people will be able to take pictures with the Khores Sexy Man throughout the afternoon. We'll also be raffling off two Khores Sexy Man banners at 3 p.m.," says the brewery.

Two Penguins Tap and Grill

2. Saturday, April 1 Hop Wars: The Haze AwakensTwo Penguins Tap and Grill, Centennial Two Penguins in Centennial will bring back its Hop Wars, this time featuring five hazy, New England-style IPAs that will go toe-to-toe for your love. The Haze Awakens takes place from 3 to 6 p.m on April 1 and features beer from Cerebral Brewing, Weldworks, Wiley Roots, Odd13 Brewing and Fiction Beer Company.

Epic Brewing

3. Saturday, April 1, through the end of April Epic Brewing sour releasesEpic Brewing Epic Brewing will release four new limited sour beers in its bottled Oak and Orchard Series this month, beginning April 1 with Oak and Orchard Syrah, an 8.5 percent beer. "This time around, we went with a little less funk and a lot more fruit," the brewery says. "We loaded one of our Napa Valley foeders with our sour saison and so much blueberry, boysenberry and black currant that it was practically bursting at the seams, resulting in a beer that explodes with huge, fruity, wine-like notes." Later in the month, Epic will release Oak and Orchard Dark Sour with Plum, Oak and Orchard Pinot, and Sour Brainless on Peaches.

Avery Brewing

4. Friday, April 7 Coconut Porter ReleaseAvery Brewing, Boulder Avery Brewing will debut its newest (and long-awaited) beer, Coconut Porter, in its revamped Botanicals & Barrels series of 22-ounce barrel-aged beers. "Copious amounts of coconut coupled with time spent aging in bourbon barrels make this Coconut Porter a rich and silky treat that will transport you to the tropics," the brewery says; Coconut Porter will be a year-round offering. Avery will be selling bottles of the beer starting at 11 a.m. on April 7, and the restaurant will have a Coconut Porter-inspired menu to pair with it.

6. Saturday, April 22 Hops for HomesGreat Divide, River North To help support the construction of affordable homes, 21 Denver-area craft breweries, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, will participate in Hops for Homes, a beer fest and fundraiser on April 22 at Great Divide's RiNo location. There will be two sessions, with 400 tickets available for each — and the potential to raise $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity. This summer, brewery employees will help build a home (The House that Beer Built) in the Sheridan Square Development, which will then be sold to a local low-income family. "The need for affordable housing has never been greater in Denver. In fact, metro Denver has the highest home prices of any U.S. city not located on a coast," Habitat says. Participating breweries include Boggy Draw, Call to Arms, Cerebral, Crazy Mountain, Dead Hippie, Declaration, Diebolt, Dry Dock, Epic, Fiction, Great Divide, Grist, Living the Dream, Mockery, Ratio Beerworks, Renegade, Resolute, Seedstock, Station 26, 4 Noses, and 38 State. In addition, each brewery will be hosting individual fundraising events and promotions to raise more funds for Habitat. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to HabitatBeerBuild.org.

Comrade Brewing

7. Saturday, April 22 Comrade Brewing Third Anniversary PartyComrade Brewing Comrade will celebrate three years of making beer with a blowout from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. April 22. There will be twenty different beers on tap, including Wheated Bourbon Whiskey BA Quit Stalin, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey BA Quit Stalin, Grapefruit Superpower, 2016 Quit Stalin, 2016 Kentucky Barrel Aged Quit Stalin and BA Vanilla Coffee Quit Stalin (at 5 p.m.) "Our limited-edition glassware for the anniversary party is a Rastal Craft Master Two, which has spiral nucleation — giving your beer constant bubbling," the brewery adds. "These will be available in the taproom in limited quantities."

These women are making noise.

Jonathan Shikes

8. Saturday, April 22 Makin' Noise tappings Multiple breweries The organizers of Makin' Noise: A Pussy Riot Beer, a collaborative effort that resulted in five beers and money raised for five charities, are back at it with new beers, more breweries and new causes. Originally the project involved only women brewers and employees, but this round has been expanded to include anyone who wants to participate. And while the charities picked for the first brew involved people and things that will be directly harmed by the Trump presidency, this round is specifically targeting environmental charities for Earth Day. Breweries involved include 38 State, Goldspot, Spangalang and Renegade, and the charities include Save Our Winters, Sierra Club and the San Rafael Community Garden, among others. While the first beers were all saisons, these will be rye-based beers, including a stout, an IPA and a pale ale. More details are TBA.

Parry's Pizzeria

If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.

SHOW ME HOW

Newsletters

SUCCESS!

You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!

9. Saturday, April 29 Big Ass Tap TakeoverFive Parry's Pizza locations Parry's Pizzeria & Bar and Avery Brewing return with their sixth annual Big Ass Tap Takeover at five Parry's locations in Northglenn, Longmont, Highlands Ranch, Greenwood Village and Castle Rock on April 29. As always, there will be an astounding fifteen to forty different Avery beers on tap at each location, starting at 11 a.m., including "highly sought-after bottles at select locations," Parry's says, and "brewery representatives will be present at several locations for some good conversation and perhaps a toast or two." The Longmont location will have live music, as well as hourly drawings for cool craft-beer goodies including Avery VIP brewery tours.

Jonathan Shikes

10. Saturday, April 29 Belgian Brew FestBruz Beers Join Bruz Beers for its first annual Belgian Brew Fest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 29, featuring ten Colorado breweries pouring their best Belgian-style beer. There will also be plenty of great food trucks and music from Velvet Compass and The Goonies. Tickets are $48 and available at eventbrite.com.

Jonathan Shikes is a Denver native who writes about business and beer for Westword.